Comparison

The Photo Guide vs LightMate

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Photo Guide

This app offers a comprehensive guide to photography, covering everything from the basics for beginners to advanced techniques for enthusiasts. Learn about composition, equipment, and mobile photography with interactive lessons and over 1,000 example images.

Highlights
  • Beginner-friendly photography lessons
  • In-depth image composition guides
  • Equipment and gear explanations
  • iPhone and iPad photography tips
  • Practical field tips and tricks
  • Photography quiz and glossary
  • Offline content access
Features
Read full description

The Photo Guide is the most comprehensive guide to photography on the App Store! If you like photography as much as we do, you will love the Photo Guide. — TUAW "I don't hesitate to recommend The Photo Guide to digital photographers. [...] The photo examples are excellent, and the text is concise and clear." Explore the fantastic world of photography with a beautiful and interactive app on your iPhone or iPad. Today, almost everyone has access to a camera, but most users only leverage a fraction of its potential. Our goal is to change this. The Photo Guide starts off with the basics of photography and goes into great detail to help you improve your skills to finally make better photos. We built the Photo Guide for seasoned photography enthusiasts, as well as for total beginners. # FOR BEGINNERS We dedicated an entire category to everyone who is just getting started with photography. The topics are result-oriented, practical, and deliberately avoid unnecessary technical terms. # IMAGE COMPOSITION Great image composition is a key element of great photography. The Photo Guide covers a huge range of interesting aspects. # BY EXAMPLE See how specific photos were taken. Which shutter speed, aperture, etc. was chosen and why, which lighting is best and much more! # EQUIPMENT Learn about the different kinds of cameras, lenses, lens filters and much more, to make informed decisions what should be part of your gear. # IPHONE & IPAD The cameras in our mobile devices are extremely capable. It’s time to take these amazing cameras seriously. This category teaches everything about iPhone & iPad photography. # IN THE FIELD Practical tips and tricks for when you’re out capturing your next great photographs. # FOUNDATION You can only master photography if you fully understand what’s happening behind the scenes, when you press the shutter button of your camera. # QUIZ You already know everything about photography? Check out the quiz and find out if there's stuff you didn't know. # GLOSSARY Oh no, what's “Hyper-focal distance". Several hundred glossary entries will help you. Photography is not rocket science but so much fun! # For beginners and seasoned photographers # Universal App for iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch # iCloud sync of favorites, read articles and quiz progress # 100% offline content - available everywhere you want to shoot! # Interactive, beautiful and easy to understand # More than 1,000 images to learn from including their Exif and location data # SUPPORT Please contact us from inside the app or through our website and give us your feedback. Is there anything we should improve? If you’re missing any specific topics, please let us know! Let us know about any problems, we’re here to help: hey@photoguideapp.com # THANKS TO: Bad Elf, Canon, Enjoyyourcamera (quenoX), Fujifilm, GoPro, Hasselblad, HOYA, Leica, Lexar, Linhof, Lytro, Nikon, Novoflex, Olympus, Panasonic, Ricoh / Pentax, Phase One, SanDisk, Schneider-Kreuznach, B+W Filter, SD Association, Sony, Transcend, Wanderlust, Zeiss for providing fantastic image material for the Photo Guide! The world of photography is endless and so is the potential of the Photo Guide! The Photo Guide team would be glad to receive feedback, get back to work and provide free updates regarding completely new topics. There's so much we haven't "talked" about in the app yet.

About

LightMate

Features
Read full description

LightMate - ExpoCalc: Your Long Exposure Photography Companion Transform your long exposure photography with precision and ease. Whether capturing silk-smooth waterfalls, ethereal cloud movements, or mesmerizing light trails, LightMate delivers the exact calculations you need in seconds. PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY TOOLS: Calculate perfect exposure times based on your ND filters Find the ideal ND filter combination for your desired exposure length Adjust aperture, shutter speed, and ISO with intuitive controls View multiple equivalent exposure combinations instantly DESIGNED FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS BY PHOTOGRAPHERS: Clean, distraction-free interface optimized for field use Precise calculations based on professional photography principles Support for all standard ND filter densities (ND2-ND100000) Save favorite settings for quick access Dark mode for night shooting sessions PERFECT FOR: Landscape photographers capturing flowing water and clouds Architectural photographers removing crowds from busy scenes Urban photographers creating dramatic light trails Any photographer wanting to master long exposure techniques Skip the guesswork and complex mental calculations. LightMate - ExpoCalc handles the technical details so you can focus on creativity and composition.

Screenshots

The Photo Guide4 screens
LightMate3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: LightMate at $0.99 against The Photo Guide's $7.99. LightMate also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). The Photo Guide's advantage is device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

The Photo Guide costs $7.99 and LightMate $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Photo Guide ships an update every 5 months, LightMate every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
The Photo Guide versus LightMate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Photo GuideLightMate
Price$7.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.8 (23 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews91.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings23 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.3 GB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBLUE BOX - ProductionsQiao Hu

In-app purchases

None

The Photo Guide

No in-app purchases

None

LightMate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is The Photo Guide free?
The Photo Guide costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is LightMate free?
LightMate costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do The Photo Guide or LightMate have ads?
Neither The Photo Guide nor LightMate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Photo Guide or LightMate?
The Photo Guide ships an update every 5 months, and LightMate every 2 weeks. Most recently, The Photo Guide was updated on October 24, 2026 and LightMate on October 7, 2026.

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